Italian Heirloom Tomato
50 Seeds
One of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around
- Meaty & coreless with few seeds
- Excellent flavor
- Great sweet/acid balance
- Great for canning and slicing
- Good resistance to drought
MORE ABOUT ITALIAN HEIRLOOM TOMATO:
(Solanum lycopersicum) It's excellent flavor and meatiness make Italian Heirloom one of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around. When I first grew this variety in the extreme drought of 2012, I thought I would never grow it again. Early on, it always seemed to look thirsty with its leaves often rolled and droopy. However later in the season, Italian Heirloom produced nice yields of large near-perfect tomatoes while other varieties suffered from extreme blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is worsened by drought). It turned out that my initial impressions were wrong, Italian heirloom had been coping with the drought stress while the others were chugging along as if everything were fine. I learned an important lesson in plant physiology that summer and thanks to Italian Heirloom we had plenty of canned tomatoes that winter. 85 days to harvest. 50 seeds/pkt.
GROWING INFORMATION
CULTURE: Tomatoes perform best in well-drained soil that contains plenty of organic matter and adequate phosphorous and calcium. Ensure that the planting site receives at least 6 hours of daily sunlight. Tomatoes require about two inches of water per week, otherwise fruit may become prone to developing blossom end rot. Mulching plants with poly, paper, or natural materials will ensure consistent moisture throughout the root zone, especially during dry periods.
SAVING SEEDS: Tomatoes are inbreeding plants with self-fertilization usually occurring before flowers have opened. Therefore, measures to control cross pollination are usually not necessary. Reports of outcrossing in tomatoes range from 0 to 5 percent, with substantially higher rates seen in potato-leaved cultivars. Varieties with larger tomatoes are more prone to outcrossing because their large flowers are more open and the stigma may extend beyond the flower. For this same reason, seeds should never be saved from double fruit of any variety. Examine the stigma length of a particular variety to determine whether flowers will need to be bagged to prevent outcrossing. If needed, inexpensive organza bags, like those used for wedding favors, can be placed over blossoms until nascent fruit appear. Bags should then be removed and the fruit tagged. To harvest seeds, cut fully ripened tomatoes in half and squeeze seeds and pulp into a container. Cover with mesh and let sit until a layer of white fungus covers the surface (about 3-5 days.) Fill container with cold water, stirring until seeds settle on the bottom. Pour off water and pulp. Repeat until seeds are clean. Dry on a coffee filter.
One of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around
- Meaty & coreless with few seeds
- Excellent flavor
- Great sweet/acid balance
- Great for canning and slicing
- Good resistance to drought
MORE ABOUT ITALIAN HEIRLOOM TOMATO:
(Solanum lycopersicum) It's excellent flavor and meatiness make Italian Heirloom one of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around. When I first grew this variety in the extreme drought of 2012, I thought I would never grow it again. Early on, it always seemed to look thirsty with its leaves often rolled and droopy. However later in the season, Italian Heirloom produced nice yields of large near-perfect tomatoes while other varieties suffered from extreme blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is worsened by drought). It turned out that my initial impressions were wrong, Italian heirloom had been coping with the drought stress while the others were chugging along as if everything were fine. I learned an important lesson in plant physiology that summer and thanks to Italian Heirloom we had plenty of canned tomatoes that winter. 85 days to harvest. 50 seeds/pkt.
GROWING INFORMATION
CULTURE: Tomatoes perform best in well-drained soil that contains plenty of organic matter and adequate phosphorous and calcium. Ensure that the planting site receives at least 6 hours of daily sunlight. Tomatoes require about two inches of water per week, otherwise fruit may become prone to developing blossom end rot. Mulching plants with poly, paper, or natural materials will ensure consistent moisture throughout the root zone, especially during dry periods.
SAVING SEEDS: Tomatoes are inbreeding plants with self-fertilization usually occurring before flowers have opened. Therefore, measures to control cross pollination are usually not necessary. Reports of outcrossing in tomatoes range from 0 to 5 percent, with substantially higher rates seen in potato-leaved cultivars. Varieties with larger tomatoes are more prone to outcrossing because their large flowers are more open and the stigma may extend beyond the flower. For this same reason, seeds should never be saved from double fruit of any variety. Examine the stigma length of a particular variety to determine whether flowers will need to be bagged to prevent outcrossing. If needed, inexpensive organza bags, like those used for wedding favors, can be placed over blossoms until nascent fruit appear. Bags should then be removed and the fruit tagged. To harvest seeds, cut fully ripened tomatoes in half and squeeze seeds and pulp into a container. Cover with mesh and let sit until a layer of white fungus covers the surface (about 3-5 days.) Fill container with cold water, stirring until seeds settle on the bottom. Pour off water and pulp. Repeat until seeds are clean. Dry on a coffee filter.
